The 2008 AS&U 100

Those who keep track of school enrollment trends won't be surprised to learn that the Clark County (Nev.) district reported another sizable increase from 2005-06 to 2006-07. It surpassed 305,000 students — 12,000 more than the previous year.

But what might surprise people is that in 2006-07, Clark County was the only one of the nation's 13 largest school systems to report an enrollment increase of any kind.

The downward enrollment trend shown in this year's AS&U 100 — a compilation of the nation's 100 largest school districts — is unmistakable. Added together, the 100 largest districts had 10,708,137 students in 2006-07, compared with 10,763,959 in 2005-06. Even districts that showed steady growth throughout the 1990s and the early part of this decade are dealing with stagnant or declining enrollment.

Twenty of the top 25, 33 of the top 50, and 57 of the top 100 districts reported fewer students in 2006-07 than the year before. On a percentage basis, the systems with the most significant enrollment decline were Detroit, whose numbers dropped by 10.60 percent, and Cleveland, which fell by 11.44 percent.

Two growing districts cracked the ranks of the 100 largest in 2006-07. The Loudoun County (Va.) district on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., was the 85th-largest district with 50,416 students. The Lewisville (Texas) district joined the list as the 95th-largest district with 47,317 students. Dropping off the list were the Oakland (Calif.) and Alief (Texas) districts.

Ten-year enrollment patterns show greater fluctuations in the list. Districts that were among the 100 largest in 2006-07 that have dropped off the list: St. Paul, Minn.; Indianapolis; St. Louis; Newark, N.J.; Escambia County, Fla.; Shelby County, Tenn.; Ysleta, Texas; Seattle; Buffalo, N.Y.; Minneapolis; Caddo Parish, La.; Cincinnati; Oakland, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Jefferson Parish, La., and Orleans Parish, La. Of districts on the 2006-07 list, Detroit experienced the greatest 10-year decline: a loss of 65,000 students, or 35 percent.

The fastest growers from 1996 to 2006 were Loudoun County and Douglas County, Colo., each of which more than doubled. Clark County's 70 percent increase over 10 years represents an additional 126,000 students.

The 100 largest districts in 2006-07 had an overall population in 2005 of more than 70.2 million, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. On average, school district enrollment accounted for 15.25 percent of the overall population, ranging from a high of 32.23 percent in the Katy (Texas) district to a low of 7.58 percent in the San Francisco district.

In addition to Clark County, larger districts that bucked the no-growth trend in 2006-07 included Gwinnett County, Ga., which added more than 7,000 students and became the 16th district with more than 150,000 students. In North Carolina, the Wake County and Charlotte-Mecklenburg County districts each added more than 7,000 students.

With the addition of Lewisville and the subtraction of the Alief district, Texas still has 18 districts on the list, the most of any state. Florida, with countywide districts, has 14 districts among the 100 largest, but of the seven in the state with enrollments greater than 100,000, every one lost enrollment in 2006-07. Of the 13 districts from California on the list, 10 reported fewer students in 2006-07.

In higher education, the online behemoth University of Phoenix, without the facility constraints that can put a ceiling on quick growth, continues to hold the top spot as the institution with the most students. In 2006-07, it had 224,880 students enrolled, an increase of 91 percent from the previous year.

The AS&U 100 has been published every September since 2002, and most years the enrollment data has come from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (2006). However, the center reports that its compilation of 2006-07 data has been delayed because of several factors.

In its place, the chart published with this article uses enrollment data for 2006-07 and 2005-06 that was collected from education departments in the various states or from individual districts. In general, the enrollment numbers generated at the state and local level are close, but not identical, to the ones that eventually will come from the federal government.

Enrollment data from the 1990s and 1980s come from the NCES, as do the 2006-07 higher-education enrollment numbers. The per-pupil expenditure figures and population estimates come from U.S. Census Bureau reports.

Rank

School District

State

District population estimate 2005

Enroll. 2006-07

% of population enrolled in public school 2006-07

Per-pupil spending 2005-06

Enroll. 2005-06

1-yr % change

Enroll. 1996-97

10-yr % change

Enroll. 1986-87

20-yr % change

1

New York City

NY

8,213,839

1,003,090

12.21%

$14,961

1,012,033

-0.88%

1,063,561

-5.69%

938,473

6.44%

2

Los Angeles

CA

4,614,590

707,626

15.33%

$9,570

727,319

-2.71%

667,305

6.04%

589,099

16.75%

3

Chicago

IL

2,856,872

401,738

14.06%

$9,282

410,874

-2.22%

469,098

-14.36%

431,298

-7.36%

4

Miami

FL

2,377,725

353,783

14.88%

$8,502

362,033

-2.28%

341,117

3.71%

243,537

31.16%

5

Clark County

NV

1,709,364

305,967

17.90%

$7,092

293,781

4.15%

179,106

70.83%

95,145

68.90%

6

Broward County

FL

1,782,016

262,726

14.74%

$7,791

271,470

-3.22%

218,608

20.18%

131,726

49.86%

7

Houston

TX

1,394,432

202,499

14.52%

$7,472

209,879

-3.52%

209,375

-3.28%

194,389

4.00%

8

Hillsborough County

FL

1,131,542

193,480

17.10%

$7,068

193,669

-0.10%

147,826

30.88%

115,342

40.39%

9

Hawaii

HI

1,273,278

179,234

14.08%

$9,640

181,355

-1.17%

187,653

-4.49%

161,302

10.00%

10

Philadelphia

PA

1,456,350

177,431

12.18%

$8,958

184,560

-3.86%

212,150

-16.37%

197,843

-11.50%

11

Orange County

FL

1,021,884

175,155

17.14%

$7,388

175,307

-0.09%

129,143

35.63%

84,125

51.97%

12

Palm Beach County

FL

1,264,956

171,429

13.55%

$8,345

174,911

-1.99%

137,585

24.60%

84,680

50.60%

13

Fairfax County

VA

1,010,015

163,962

16.23%

$11,909

163,768

0.12%

143,266

14.45%

126,183

23.04%

14

Dallas

TX

1,025,989

158,814

15.48%

$7,821

160,969

-1.34%

154,847

2.56%

132,389

16.64%

15

Gwinnett County

GA

713,678

151,421

21.22%

$8,334

143,980

5.17%

88,855

70.41%

50,906

66.38%

16

Montgomery County

MD

927,405

137,814

14.86%

$12,859

139,398

-1.14%

122,505

12.50%

94,457

31.46%

17

San Diego

CA

1,029,159

131,034

12.73%

$9,003

132,482

-1.09%

133,687

-1.98%

115,441

11.90%

18

Prince George's County

MD

842,764

131,014

15.55%

$10,221

133,325

-1.73%

125,198

4.65%

103,301

21.15%

19

Charlotte-Mecklenburg

NC

796,369

129,009

16.20%

$7,723

123,789

4.22%

93,533

37.93%

73,360

43.14%

20

Wake County

NC

750,865

128,072

17.06%

$7,333

120,504

6.28%

85,735

49.38%

58,202

54.56%

21

Duval County

FL

826,791

125,171

15.14%

$7,633

126,535

-1.08%

126,118

-0.75%

102,966

17.74%

22

Memphis

TN

689,239

123,972

17.99%

$7,719

125,553

-1.26%

111,156

11.53%

108,300

12.64%

23

Detroit

MI

918,852

117,568

12.80%

$10,576

131,639

-10.69%

182,316

-35.51%

189,269

-60.99%

24

Pinellas County

FL

926,810

109,880

11.86%

$7,870

112,127

-2.00%

107,060

2.63%

88,934

19.06%

25

Cobb County

GA

597,783

106,103

17.75%

$8,061

105,526

0.55%

86,765

22.29%

62,357

41.23%

26

Baltimore County

MD

783,405

105,839

13.51%

$10,327

107,043

-1.12%

104,073

1.70%

80,259

24.17%

27

DeKalb County

GA

662,145

98,713

14.91%

$9,965

99,544

-0.83%

90,311

9.30%

73,040

26.01%

28

Jefferson County

KY

696,703

97,915

14.05%

$8,741

97,518

0.41%

91,878

6.57%

92,940

5.08%

29

Albuquerque

NM

609,255

95,256

15.63%

$7,486

93,690

1.67%

89,092

6.92%

79,922

16.10%

30

Polk County

FL

541,910

92,873

17.14%

$7,891

89,483

3.79%

74,808

24.15%

59,352

36.09%

31

Cypress-Fairbanks

TX

326,811

91,889

28.12%

$6,635

86,100

6.72%

52,930

73.60%

33,104

63.97%

32

Long Beach

CA

529,521

90,663

17.12%

$8,100

93,589

-3.13%

83,038

9.18%

65,052

28.25%

33

Milwaukee

WI

583,372

89,912

15.41%

$11,277

92,395

-2.69%

101,007

-10.98%

90,657

-0.83%

34

Jefferson County

CO

526,719

86,154

16.36%

$8,313

86,339

-0.21%

86,670

-0.60%

75,745

12.08%

35

Baltimore City

MD

636,377

82,381

12.95%

$10,910

85,468

-3.61%

108,759

-24.25%

111,243

-35.03%

36

Fulton County

GA

491,667

81,982

16.67%

$9,138

79,192

3.52%

59,953

36.74%

38,855

52.61%

37

Austin

TX

626,993

81,917

13.07%

$8,141

81,003

1.13%

76,054

7.71%

60,891

25.67%

38

Northside (San Antonio)

TX

383,504

81,861

21.35%

$6,833

78,154

4.74%

59,284

38.08%

44,776

45.30%

39

Fort Worth

TX

506,365

79,369

15.67%

$7,679

80,208

-1.05%

75,813

4.69%

68,045

14.27%

40

Lee County

FL

544,196

78,980

14.51%

$7,399

75,579

4.50%

52,317

50.96%

35,309

55.29%

41

Jordan

UT

348,724

78,708

22.57%

$4,960

77,369

1.73%

72,748

8.19%

61,022

22.47%

42

Nashville

TN

574,395

78,607

13.69%

$8,303

79,297

-0.87%

69,888

12.48%

66,528

15.37%

43

Fresno

CA

400,964

77,555

19.34%

$8,049

79,046

-1.89%

78,470

-1.17%

58,969

23.96%

44

Brevard County

FL

528,640

74,791

14.15%

$7,297

75,160

-0.49%

66,663

12.19%

48,154

35.62%

45

Mesa

AZ

518,263

74,068

14.29%

$6,497

74,626

-0.75%

70,181

5.54%

56,018

24.37%

46

Anne Arundel County

MD

509,397

73,066

14.34%

$10,064

73,565

-0.68%

72,322

1.03%

64,006

12.40%

47

Denver

CO

558,663

72,561

12.99%

$9,728

72,312

0.34%

66,331

9.39%

60,315

16.88%

48

Virginia Beach

VA

437,021

72,543

16.60%

$8,839

74,313

-2.38%

76,677

-5.39%

55,989

22.82%

49

Prince William County

VA

340,568

70,948

20.83%

$9,253

68,462

3.63%

48,333

46.79%

37,600

47.00%

50

Guilford County

NC

443,539

70,380

15.87%

$7,632

68,797

2.30%

58,736

19.82%

23,925

66.01%

51

Granite

UT

368,677

68,483

18.58%

$5,202

69,048

-0.82%

76,456

-10.43%

68,203

0.41%

52

Fort Bend

TX

308,773

66,792

21.63%

$6,638

65,927

1.31%

46,881

42.47%

27,294

59.14%

53

Seminole County

FL

401,291

66,349

16.53%

$7,059

67,473

-1.67%

55,972

18.54%

41,626

37.26%

54

Greenville

SC

421,355

66,237

15.72%

$6,929

64,315

2.99%

55,893

18.51%

50,590

23.62%

55

Volusia County

FL

487,875

65,967

13.52%

$7,628

65,599

0.56%

58,004

13.73%

40,169

39.11%

56

Washoe County

NV

389,775

65,013

16.68%

$7,286

64,125

1.38%

49,671

30.89%

33,705

48.16%

57

Pasco County

FL

430,053

64,688

15.04%

$7,266

62,768

3.06%

43,461

48.84%

29,347

54.63%

58

Mobile

AL

399,851

64,178

16.05%

$7,590

64,721

-0.84%

64,833

-1.01%

67,824

-5.68%

59

Davis

UT

268,084

62,832

23.44%

$5,266

62,456

0.60%

59,220

6.10%

49,061

21.92%

60

Arlington

TX

366,229

62,830

17.16%

$6,833

63,308

-0.76%

53,343

17.78%

40,620

35.35%

61

El Paso

TX

327,028

62,635

19.15%

$7,582

63,674

-1.63%

64,444

-2.81%

61,616

1.63%

62

Elk Grove

CA

233,683

61,881

26.48%

$7,652

60,735

1.89%

37,787

63.76%

18,222

70.55%

63

North East (San Antonio)

TX

344,086

61,003

17.73%

$7,340

59,556

2.43%

45,184

35.01%

38,062

37.61%

64

Tucson

AZ

486,891

60,411

12.41%

$7,410

60,557

-0.24%

62,867

-3.91%

55,235

8.57%

65

Aldine

TX

242,684

58,596

24.14%

$7,680

57,931

1.15%

47,242

24.03%

38,107

34.97%

66

Chesterfield County

VA

288,243

58,455

20.28%

$7,655

57,239

2.12%

49,781

17.42%

38,776

33.67%

67

Washington, D.C.

DC

582,049

57,741

9.92%

$13,446

59,616

-3.15%

78,648

-26.58%

85,612

-48.27%

68

San Bernardino

CA

257,911

57,397

22.25%

$8,386

58,661

-2.15%

46,309

23.94%

33,454

41.71%

69

Santa Ana

CA

276,042

57,346

20.77%

$8,069

59,310

-3.31%

52,107

10.05%

37,415

34.76%

70

Knox County

TN

405,355

56,535

13.95%

$6,854

56,851

-0.56%

51,224

10.37%

26,485

53.15%2

71

Garland

TX

257,932

56,459

21.89%

$6,490

56,955

-0.87%

44,869

25.83%

34,288

39.27%

72

Boston

MA

590,987

56,388

9.54%

$17,421

57,349

-1.68%

63,239

-10.83%

60,704

-7.65%

73

San Francisco

CA

741,025

56,183

7.58%

$8,215

56,236

-0.09%

61,174

-8.16%

64,786

-15.31%

74

Alpine

UT

223,538

56,051

25.07%

$4,918

54,773

2.33%

43,719

28.21%

31,153

44.42%

75

San Antonio

TX

344,619

55,322

16.05%

$8,272

56,371

-1.86%

61,361

-9.84%

61,084

-10.42%

76

Columbus

OH

491,744

53,674

10.92%

$11,457

59,141

-9.24%

63,894

-16.00%

66,029

-23.02%

77

Cumberland County

NC

267,740

53,079

19.82%

$7,110

52,439

1.22%

51,035

4.01%

43,783

17.51%

78

Cleveland

OH

457,659

52,769

11.53%

$11,073

59,586

-11.44%

74,026

-28.72%

72,041

-36.52%

79

Plano

TX

384,112

52,753

13.73%

$7,264

53,007

-0.48%

40,864

29.09%

28,101

46.73%

80

Osceola County

FL

231,482

51,881

22.41%

$7,065

49,779

4.22%

27,376

89.51%

13,133

74.69%

81

Clayton County

GA

266,614

51,815

19.43%

$8,461

51,948

-0.26%

41,658

24.38%

32,538

37.20%

82

Capistrano

CA

313,067

51,512

16.45%

$7,108

51,245

0.52%

37,539

37.22%

20,588

60.03%

83

Katy

TX

157,396

50,725

32.23%

$7,087

47,808

6.10%

26,597

90.72%

15,832

68.79%

84

Forsyth County

NC

325,726

50,708

15.57%

$7,762

49,599

2.24%

41,851

21.16%

38,857

23.37%

85

Loudoun County

VA

256,417

50,416

19.66%

$11,484

47,326

6.53%

21,574

133.69%

13,236

73.75%

86

Douglas County

CO

251,464

50,370

20.03%

7,793

48,043

4.84%

24,495

105.63%

9,693

80.76%

87

Corono-Norco

CA

214,754

49,865

23.22%

$7,188

47,510

4.96%

29,528

68.87%

17,558

64.79%

88

Atlanta

GA

474,665

49,773

10.49%

$12,435

49,965

-0.38%

60,064

-17.13%

66,069

-32.74%

89

Cherry Creek

CO

228,185

49,684

21.77%

$7,843

48,661

2.10%

37,128

33.82%

26,459

46.75%

90

Pasadena

TX

231,693

49,630

21.42%

$7,124

49,047

1.19%

40,512

22.51%

35,097

29.28%

91

Sacramento

CA

367,126

49,355

13.44%

$8,878

50,408

-2.09%

51,240

-3.68%

45,893

7.01%

92

Anchorage

AK

275,474

49,230

17.87%

$9,663

49,714

-0.97%

48,109

2.33%

39,175

20.42%

93

East Baton Rouge

LA

380,102

49,145

12.93%

$8,493

49,945

-1.60%

61,499

-20.09%

57,523

-17.05%

94

Howard County

MD

269,174

49,048

18.22%

$11,703

48,596

0.93%

38,857

26.23%

25,629

47.75%

95

Lewisville

TX

256,707

48,890

19.05%

$7,341

47,317

3.32%

30,243

61.66%

16,809

65.62%

96

Garden Grove

CA

283,485

48,798

17.21%

$7,984

49,574

-1.57%

44,661

9.26%

36,395

25.42%

97

Wichita

KS

326,269

48,496

14.86%

$8,600

48,451

0.09%

46,391

4.54%

44,919

7.38%

98

Brownsville

TX

177,978

48,284

27.13%

$7,848

48,186

0.20%

40,494

19.24%

33,966

29.65%

99

San Juan

CA

364,537

47,862

13.13%

$7,824

48,325

-0.96%

47,819

0.09%

45,791

4.33%

100

Henrico County

VA

280,599

47,680

16.99%

$7,624

47,747

-0.14%

38,102

25.14%

30,946

35.10%

TOTAL

70,239,889

10,708,137

15.25%

10,763,959

-0.52%

8,124,238

24.13%

Sources: State departments of education, individual districts, U.S. Census Bureau and National Center for Education Statistics

Feeding the beast

The three largest school districts in the nation's largest state all experienced enrollment declines in 2006-07. The numbers are smaller, but there still are plenty of students. Together, the Los Angeles, San Diego and Long Beach districts accounted for more than 929,000 students, and providing adequate facilities for them is a pricey proposition.

The three California systems have something else in common: In November, each of them will be asking voters to approve bond issues in excess of $1 billion.

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, billion-dollar bond proposals have become old-hat. Voters approved four ballot questions in eight years: a $2.4 billion package in November 1997; a $3.35 billion package in November 2002; a $3.8 billion request in March 2004; and a $3.985 billion proposal in November 2005.

But district officials say it still has $60 billion in capital-improvement needs. So they are going back to voters to seek approval of a $7 billion package. District officials say the bonds would enable the district to address repair and safety needs, improve technology, create smaller schools, and incorporate more green approaches into facilities management.

In San Diego, voters will determine the fate of a $2.1 billion proposal. The measure comes 10 years after district voters approved a $1.51 billion bond package. That program paid for repairs at 161 schools, construction of 12 new schools and the rebuilding of three schools.

The bond this fall seeks funds to repair outdated student restrooms, plumbing and roofs; upgrade classroom technology; improve school safety and security; replace outdated portable classrooms; and make other improvements.

The Long Beach Unified District decided to put a $1.2 billion proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot after a comprehensive facilities study. The analysis determined that major renovations are needed at 38 percent of schools, and moderate renovations at 36 percent. Eighty percent of the school district's buildings were constructed before 1970.

The bonds would enable Long Beach to retrofit schools for earthquake safety and handicap accessibility; improve energy efficiency; reduce crowding; and make other improvements.

Splitsville, Utah

The Jordan school system, the largest in Utah, is nestled comfortably at No. 41 on the list of the 100 largest districts. But not for long. In a couple of years, it is likely to disappear from the list.

That's because residents on the east side of the district voted last year to pull out and form a separate school system. Proponents of the split argued that too many resources were going to west-side communities and that east-side issues were not given sufficient attention.

The split officially occurs in 2009. The remaining Jordan district will serve the communities of Bluffdale, Herriman, Riverton, South Jordan and West Jordan, and is expected to have a student enrollment of around 45,000. The new, east-side district will serve Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Midvale, Sandy, Alta and unincorporated Salt Lake County, and is expected to have about 35,000 students.

While some 80,000 students continue to fill the classrooms of Jordan's 90-plus schools, the grown-ups are trying to work out the messy details of the break-up. Some things have gone smoothly — the new district has hired an assistant state education commissioner as superintendent, and a new school board has been elected.

But financial issues have yet to be resolved. The split will give the east-side district 43 percent of the students, but it also will have 57 percent of the tax base. The remaining west-side district is expected to grow more than the east-side communities; a feasibility study in 2006 found that over the next five years, the west-side schools would need $585 million for capital facility needs, and the east side would need $194 million.

At the same time, residents in the east-side area expressed resentment that projects promised in a 2003 bond issue for their area were not completed.

Transition teams for each district have negotiated for several months to divide the assets of the existing school system and whether one district needs to reimburse the other to make the split equitable. The teams have been unable to agree on a plan, and the financial questions are headed to arbitration.

Raising Arizona State

With more than 51,000 students in fall 2006, Arizona State University's Tempe campus is fifth on the list of largest colleges and universities. Like most large institutions trying to remain competitive and recruit students, Arizona State has many construction projects in the works.

University officials want to boost the number of students living on the four Arizona State campuses to 12,000 by 2015. In Tempe, the school plans to construct 10 buildings on the south end of campus that will accommodate 5,000 students.

The first of those facilities — called Vista Del Sol — opened for the fall semester. Built in partnership with a private developer, the 1,866-bed building has one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units. Like many university housing projects built in recent years, it offers numerous amenities: a community center, theater, tanning salon, retail plaza, fitness center, swimming pool, game room and flatscreen TVs.

Elsewhere on the Tempe campus, Arizona State is erecting a new home for its honors college. Workers broke ground last year on a $120 million home for Barrett College. The 8.25-acre campus will provide housing for 1,700 students, as well as include a central dining facility. The project will have seven buildings and a total of 510,000 square feet of space — 431,000 of that residential.

The new space will have a sustainable living community, with low-consumption plumbing fixtures, enhanced energy monitoring, a green roof and organic garden offering students the opportunity to study and experience sustainable living concepts. Other amenities will include a fitness center, computer lounge and lab, amphitheater, classrooms, outside activity courts and dining hall with covered terrace, a garden and special dining rooms.

Largest in higher education

Rank

Institution

Fall 2006

Fall 2005

1-year %
change

Fall 1996

10-year %
change

1

University of Phoenix Online Campus

224,880

117,309

91.70%

n/a*

n/a

2

Miami Dade College

54,094

54,169

-0.14%

48,795

10.86%

3

Ohio State University

52,568

50,504

4.09%

48,352

8.72%

4

University of Florida

51,725

46,693

10.78%

39,863

29.76%

5

Arizona State University

51,481

51,612

-0.25%

42,463

21.24%

6

University of Minnesota — Twin Cities

50,883

51,175

-0.57%

51,388

-0.98%

7

University of Texas at Austin

50,170

49,696

0.95%

48,008

4.50%

8

University of Central Florida

48,398

44,856

7.90%

27,684

74.82%

9

Texas A&M University

46,542

44,910

3.63%

41,892

11.10%

10

City College of San Francisco

46,411

43,255

7.30%

26,933

72.32%

11

Michigan State University

46,045

45,166

1.95%

41,545

10.83%

12

University of South Florida

44,870

42,660

5.18%

36,266

23.72%

13

Houston Community College

43,518

39,516

10.13%

38,493

13.05%

14

Pennsylvania State University

43,252

40,709

6.25%

39,855

8.52%

15

University of Illinois at Urbana — Champaign

42,326

41,938

0.93%

38,841

8.97%

16

University of Michigan — Ann Arbor

41,942

39,993

4.87%

36,525

14.83%

17

New York University

41,783

40,004

4.45%

36,305

15.09%

18

University of Wisconsin — Madison

41,563

40,793

1.89%

39,289

5.79%

19

Northern Virginia Community College

41,266

37,740

9.34%

35,337

16.78%

20

Florida State University

40,555

39,146

3.60%

30,154

34.49%

*Was not among the largest 120 campuses in 1996Source: National Center for Education Statistics, College Navigator